In the related art, in a robot system, although an area in which a robot operates and an area in which there is worker traffic are sectioned by using a safety fence, in the case in which a worker needs to frequently enter the area in which the robot operates in order to supply a work or the like to the robot, there is a problem in that productivity is considerably reduced due to the time and effort involved in unlocking a physical lock or the like.
In order to eliminate such a problem, a technology for detecting the worker in the area in which the robot operates has been developed (for example, see Patent Literatures 1 to 3).
The technology of Patent Literature 1 is a technology with which the presence/absence of a worker in the area in which the robot operates is detected by using a mat that is installed in this area and that detects the weight of the worker.
The technology of Patent Literature 2 is a technology with which the presence/absence of a worker in the area in which the robot operates is monitored by using a camera.
The technology of Patent Literature 3 is a technology with which a common area that is divided by using double light curtains is formed between the area in which the robot operates and the area in which there is worker traffic, and with which, when the entry of the robot or the worker into the common area is detected by one of the light curtains, the robot is subsequently stopped by means of detection signals from the other light curtain.